After the Storm - and a Wonky Donkey!

It's been a stormy week, after a wet, cloudy summer, here in the wilds of northern England. Last night the rain was particularly intense and the roof was leaking like a sieve.

This morning there are three trees washed up on the weir and the river looks like Guinness.

One of our riverbank willows has snapped off and is lying horizontally over the river, ready to be washed away the next time the river is in flood. It's lying among the drifts of Yellow Loose-strife and Himalayan Balsam that are blooming chest-high at the moment.

I suppose I should mourn the non-summer that we've had up here, but I don't. I love Weather in every mood. When the wind was blowing yesterday and all the trees were turning their backs to the gale and there was a snowstorm of petals, leaves and twigs, it made me feel very much alive.

I'm not finding much time to blog at the moment - August is a family month, with school holidays and lots of fun (in the rain!). I've been visited by big and little people and there have been lots of sticky cuddles, paddles in the river, and cartoons on TV. We've had damp barbecues, flown kites up on the moor, braved chilly nights to watch the Perseid meteors, baked cakes, and visited museums. In between I've managed to put in some late night hours on the Work In Progress, taking my mind from Cumbria to Canada and re-living my trip to the Edge of the World.

Also learned some new children's songs. Anyone down-under recognise the Wonky Donkey song sung by Craig Smith? It's brilliant! The book isn't bad either.